Discover Mozart & Bach

New Jersey Symphony Family Concert:
A Music Discovery Zone

Concert Information

Program update: Music Director Xian Zhang will not appear in this program due to a slight illness. She intends to conduct the performances of Xian Conducts Mozart tonight and tomorrow at NJPAC. Colton Conducting Fellow Gregory D. McDaniel, who was to conduct Saint-Saëns’ Selection from Cello Concerto No. 1 in this performance, will conduct the program in its entirety.

Estimated concert duration: 1 hour and 15 minutes

Gregory D. McDaniel conductor
Bill Barclay host
Eric Wyrick violin
Francine Storck violin
Annamaria Witek cello
New Jersey Symphony

Discover what makes a live orchestra concert so special. We’ll take a deep dive into works by Mozart, as well as J.S. Bach’s incredibly famous Double Concerto for Two Violins. Also featured on the program is 2024 Henry Lewis Concerto Competition winner, cellist Annamaria Witek. Inspired by Leonard Bernstein’s masterful way of putting young audiences at the center of music-making, this interactive concert will feature inside tips, listening cues and fun facts that make for the perfect Saturday afternoon family outing!

This will be a Relaxed Performance, designed to accommodate the differing needs of our patrons. We encourage you and your families to bring your own sensory manipulatives, noise reduction headphones and other necessary tools (like a comfort stuffed animal, lovee or stuffy) that will allow you to react and enjoy the music in a way that is most natural for you! More information on the resources we will have in place pre-concert and during the performance is available here.

Please note: If you are someone who enjoys silence in a concert hall, this performance might not be for you.

New Jersey Symphony Family Concert: A Music Discovery Zone is presented in NJPAC’s Prudential Hall.

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Selection from Eine kleine Nachtmusik
Camille Saint-Saëns Selection from Cello Concerto No. 1
Johann Sebastian Bach Double Concerto for Two Violins
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Symphony No. 35, “Haffner”

Instrument Discovery Zone

Saturday, May 17, at 1 pm at NJPAC in Newark
New Jersey Symphony musicians will showcase an Instrument Discovery Zone in NJPAC’s lobby for patrons to explore making music with various instruments. Come try out an instrument for yourself before the performance!

Gregory D. McDaniel is the 2024–25 Colton Conducting Fellow, made possible by the generous support of Judy and Stewart Colton.

This concert is promoted in partnership with Best Buddies New Jersey and the P.G. Chambers School.

Projections and slides for this concert are produced by Concert Theatre Works.

Programs, artists and prices are subject to change.